268 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol.H. 



be observed that Dr. Trimen gives June and July as the flowering 

 time of Alangium Lamarckii in Ceylon ; that its bark is bitter ; its 

 heartw^ood hard and close grained and dark yellow. I have found 

 that in Baillon's illustration, figs. Nos. 247-248 of A. decapetalum (at 

 page 272 of vol. VI of his Natural History of Plants) the fruit is 

 marked ribbed. Dr. Trimen distinctly notes that the fruit is not 

 ribbed. This will be amply apparent from my figures of the fruit as 

 copied fresh in the natural condition. Dr. Trimen describes the fruit 

 as " purplish-red." It is a rich " lake " colour as will be seen from the 

 copy of the Thana fruit. 



The description of the fruit and seed as given by Baillon (op. cit.) 

 is worthy of reproduction here, and may be usefully read in 

 connection with my remarks embodied in the main description of the 

 plant I have already given. It is as follows : — 



'' Fruit, drupaceous, crowned with calyx or its scar ; exocarp thin 

 or thick fleshy ; putamen, more or less hard, sometimes crustaceous, 

 1 — 2 spermous. Seed oblong ; integument thin ; albumen fleshy, ex- 

 ternally smooth or sometimes sinuate or ruminate ; cotyledons of axile 

 embryo foliaceous, digitinerved at base, or flat, or slightly corrugate, 

 or sometimes contortuplicate ; radicle terte superior." Iiet it be 

 noted further that Baillon observes that in the Alangium series, 

 though in some flowers the introrse anther dehisces by two longi- 

 tudinal clefts, these clefts may be looked for right at its margin, i.e., 

 externally instead of in the median line of the anther-cells.* The 

 following observation of Baillon as regards the Ovary may be also 

 usefully quoted here for the help of those who would engage them- 

 selves in the work of extended microscopical research : — " The Ovary 

 set in the cavity of the receptacle, and consequently inferior, is uni- 

 locular in the true Alangiums, and encloses, inserted a little below the 

 summit, a descending anatropous ovule with micropyle primarily 

 superior and exterior, later lateral, afterwards slightly contorted." 

 To this Baillon adds a very important footnote indicating that the 

 ovule has a double envelope. The lucidity and accuracy of this de- 

 scription are my sole apology for such an extended quotation from 

 Baillon. I leave it to the microscopic worker to judge of its utility. 

 * Baillon's Natural History of Plants ; p. 272, vol. YI. 



